It would not be unreasonable to expect good music from a romantic drama that features two gorgeous looking actors and is backed by heavyweights like Karan Johar (Dharma Productions), Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar (Excel Entertainment). ‘Baar Baar Dekho’, directed by debutante Nitya Mehra, was supposed to have music scored by Amit Trivedi. Trivedi had started working on the film and had even composed a couple of tracks when the makers felt that while the tracks complimented the narrative of the film, they were not the kind that would set the charts on fire. The recently released soundtrack of the film features the names of six composers, namely, Amaal Mallik, Jasleen Royal, Arko, Bilal Saeed, Prem Hardeep and Badshah.
Though Amit Trivedi left the film, his presence can be felt in “Kho Gaye Hum Kahan”, a song that has the, indipop sound, which had a niche audience back then, popularised by him in the Hindi film music vicinity. One is not sure how well would Jasleen Royal and Prateek Kuhad’s childlike voices suit Katrina Kaif and Sidharth Malhotra but they bring an innocent charm to the song. With a simple tune and minimal arrangements, the song leaves a calming effect on you but it is not the kind of song that one would like to hear on a loop. The composition is not bad but it sounds like several of those tracks that a lot of young musicians release on the internet these days.
“Sau Aasmaan”, Amaal Mallik’s sole contribution to the soundtrack, starts with banjo-led arrangements which lend a country music feel to the song. Soon enough, the track starts sounding like a mellow, watered down version of the composer’s own “Sooraj Dooba Hain” (Roy). The EDM base and the tune make it difficult for one to refrain from comparing the two songs. In spite of the obvious similarities, the song manages to leave a mark and serves its purpose of depicting the love between a newlywed couple out on a honeymoon. Neeti Mohan and Armaan Malik, who had earlier co-sung “Tumhe Apna Banane Ka” (Hate Story 3), complement each other’s voices quite well.
Arko puts together hummable and easily likeable tune for “Dariya”, which he also writes and sings himself. In the past, he had brought down a couple of his compositions by writing lyrics in Hindi/Urdu which reeked of numerous grammatical errors. This time, for a song, laced with Punjabi words, he sticks to simple, heard-before verses and does well as a vocalist and a composer. Dariya sounds too pop-ish to fit into a Hindi film soundtrack. Also, the track carries a slightly dated sound. Having said, the tune is easy on the ears and that helps the song sail through.
Jasleen Royal again seeks inspiration from Amit Trivedi and with “Nachde Ne Saare”, she pays homage to the kind of folksy celebratory numbers Amit has composed for films like Dev D, Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana and even Aisha (“Gal Mitthi Mitthi Bol”). With a mix of electronic beats and traditional instruments, the song carries an infectious tune which grows on you in no time. Apart from rendering a few lines herself, Jasleen gets in Harshdeep Kaur and Siddharth Mahadevan who bring some fabulous energy to the song.
Bilal Saeed re-arranges “Khair Mangdi”, his hit single which came out a couple of years back and makes some suitable alterations which befits the seeped-in-melancholy lyrics. This stripped down version works much better than the fast paced and high on EDM original track. Honestly, one finds it difficult to differentiate between this track and a few others that artistes from Pakistan have released in the last decade. The song sounds like a pale imitation of the kind of sound thse artistes broth in a decade back and one wonders why did the makers decide to put this track in the film.
Last to arrive is the much publicised promotional track “Kala Chashma”, which is a repackaged avatar of the original track that made waves when it released almost two decades back. Badshah adds his own style while recreating this foot tapping number originally composed by Prem Hardeep. The song might have been a trendsetter when it arrived years back but there has been an overdose of such dance numbers which offer little in terms of originality. Even though one would have liked an original track to be used as a promotional tool, there is no denying that it is a foot tapping number.
The fact that the makers of the film sourced already composed tracks from music directors and put them in different junctures in the film is quite evident by the way the album sounds. The songs are of varied quality but not one of them will put you off as a listener. Barring a couple of songs (“Sau Aasman”, “Nachde Ne Saare”), most of the tracks have a somewhat generic quality to them. There is nothing wrong about wanting to have hit numbers in your film but one should put some thought while putting together the soundtrack, so that it, in some way, speaks for the film.
Rating: 2.5/5
